Product Spotlight: Minn Kota Riptide Terrova - The Fisherman

Product Spotlight: Minn Kota Riptide Terrova

www.minnkotamotors.com

Introduced in July of 2019 at the ICAST Sport Fishing Tackle Show, Minn Kota’s Riptide Terrova features a whopping 112 pounds of thrust and a super long 87-inch shaft, which makes it right at home on 25-foot-plus coastal center consoles.

The Minn Kota engineers answered the call for an XXL, made-for-saltwater, electric trolling motor that can be one of the most useful tools in your sport fishing bag of tricks. Designed to be used for center consoles, dual consoles and cabin craft in excess of 4,500 pounds and over 25 feet in length, the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova should be a good fit for those boats where the bow-to-waterline measurement is in excess of 45-inches high. The three-battery, 36-volt set-up for this electric trolling motor should provide many hours of use between recharges, but that will ultimately depend on how and where you use it, combined with the prevailing wind and water conditions and the type of batteries that are used (flooded lead acid, AGM or Lithium Ion.) Supersized 36-volt saltwater trolling motors are becoming all the rage these days and for good reasons. Simply put, they are a force-multiplier, game-changer, secret weapon, or whatever you want to call it. They will enhance your skillset and bring your fishing capabilities to an entirely new universe.

product spotlight

The term “trolling motor” when applied to the Minn Kota Terrova Riptide is a bit of a misnomer. Sure, you can use it in the colloquial sense as a variable speed electric trolling motor, but this special tool does considerably more. The unique autopilot feature allows you to pick a specific compass course, and the Terrova will do the rest, making the requisite steering adjustments to move your boat at the designated speed in the chosen direction. When drifting an inlet in a ripping tide, the Terrova can help slow things down by providing just the right amount of reverse electric thrust to achieve and maintain that “perfect” drift speed to get consistent bites. If bass, blues or tautog are holding around a rock pile or jetty, you can Spot Lock your boat at the touch of a button to employ the invisible anchor feature and keep it right where you want it, even in moving water. Should the fish change location during different stages of the tide, the Jog feature with enable you to slide your vessel in five-foot increments north, south, east or west. These features are also a major plus for wreck fisherman, who can now employ this adjustable “invisible anchor” to fine tune their approach when fishing structure, either inshore or offshore, even in windy or choppy sea conditions.

Notable Product Features

Some of the more notable standard features of the Minn Kota Terrova Riptide include:

  • i-Pilot Link, which gives you unprecedented control over your boat by linking your trolling motor to your Humminbird fish finder as part of a “One Boat Network.” Operators can control their trolling motor from Link’s color touch-screen remote or the Humminbird. You can set Spot-Locks, record paths, follow depth contours, automatically navigate to your favorite spots, control speed and steering and more.
  • Spot-Lock with Jog, which will hold you in place with unparalleled GPS accuracy. Available on an i-Pilot GPS system that is pre-installed, Spot-Lock gives you the power to stay right on top of any productive fishing spot, without touching your trolling motor. With the included heading sensor, you can use Jog to move your Spot-Lock location five feet in any direction. Activate Spot-Lock from the i-Pilot remote or Humminbird fish finder.
  • An AutoPilot function that automatically navigates your boat in any direction you choose. Just point the head of your trolling motor in the direction you want to travel, activate AutoPilot, and your trolling motor will keep you on that heading automatically, even correcting for wind, waves and current.
  • A Push-to-Test Battery Meter that allows operators to press a button to get an instant “stage of charge” reading. The Digital Maximizer function provides up to five times longer run time on a single battery charge. This variable speed trolling motor lets you dial-in your exact speed and delivers only as much power as you need, helping to conserve your battery for a full day of fishing.

The Riptide Terrova is treated with an advanced corrosion protection process where the motor’s lower unit housing is grit-blasted, and then coated in aluminum to prevent oxidization and rust. A layer of powder coat paint provides the ultimate protection against the harsh saltwater environment. The Riptide’s Weedless Wedge prop features swept-back, flared blades to power through anything without battery-draining chopping and hacking. It is also equipped with an indestructible composite shaft, which is guaranteed for life.

In summary, if you are on the fence about taking the plunge on this game-changing technology, what are you waiting for? The Riptide Terrova can be one of the most useful tools in your saltwater arsenal.

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